Well...well...well...

Here I am again! Don't know where to start...for the time would fail me to tell you about all that took place...school fields day...field trips...the last day of school...picnic...graduation.

And then the next week they youth went camping...they took 4 from our household this year. Its amazing how much less work there is when 4 of them are gone...and I know the story...but look how much they help when they are there...and yes they do...but they need to for the extra food they eat and clothes they wear! LOL! And then they got back and the stack of laundry...Ryan left the next morning to fly to ND to visit a BS buddy, who's mom had passed away...and the anxious day he spent in airports that he wasn't planning too...plane mechanical failures...thunder storms...and top that with a serious headache that he asked for prayer for...was so hoping he could have a nice flight home...but had a few more delays...he is sick of airports!! And then the other day, my eldest son turned 21...and it just seems like yesterday...that Sat when I was doing my cleaning and fretting about whether or not this was the real thing!! Ryan told us the other day that all his birthday pictures for the last 10 years are always the same...taken at lunchtime... in his work shirt...at the picnic table! Ha!

Last week I went to my garden and picked the last of the 'English' peas, some broccoli, some cukes, squash...and the first of my gr beans! That is unusual for the south to have peas and beans together...the hot weather usually dries out the peas way before the beans come on the scene! Don't know what I was thinking...but had picked the beans Thurs, then was hoping they would wait till Mon...sometime yesterday I remembered that I should go over the cukes...and groaned when I saw the beans...and then remembered the children are hoping to go to the zoo tomorrow...and knew the beans wouldn't wait till Tues! I needed some things at Walmart and was going to go right after lunch...but Ivan said he would take me later on...well...he called about 4:30 and said to go ahead and go. Andrea and I went...I told Maurita before we left if she felt ambitious that she could go out and at least pick the 2 short rows...the more I thought about it...I didn't like the thought, but knew the beans needed picked before bedtime! Surprise of surprises when we got home at 7...there were 3 baskets of beans on the front porch...I didn't know whether to be happy they were picked, or groan because there were so many at such a time Sat night!!! Maurita said she picked over them all...I didn't even go check to make sure she got them all...didn't really care if she did miss some of them! LOL! I really don't like to start projects like that after Sat noon! But many hands make light work. Gwynndon found the leftovers in the fridge and engineered the little boys supper, while the girls and I started snapping beans. Somehow Gendeva and Ryan missed out...they had gone shopping to Aiken after Geneva got off work...and Ivan was out working on his shop addition. We ended up with 21 qt of squashed down runnin' over qt jars...I debated about freezing some of them...but thanks to a pressure canner I turned the last burner off about 11:30! And yeah...sometime I was nostalgically remembering that once upon a time...42 pt of beans would have been a great portion or what we need for all year!!! But I am grateful for this stage in life right now...cause I am sure one day soon...we may be back there!!

So how is that for one big runon paragraph!! And then this morning we were blessed with a chorus from VA who shared in song...after which we shared lunch with them and the youth and sent them on their way with a packed supper. Once again...many hands make light work...we actually were leaving by 1:30 with a clean kitchen behind!! ...and then Friday Ryan leaves us again...this time headed for LA street meetings!...and the next week is summer Bible school...so looks like the trip is still on a roll! Hang on for the ride!!

Well, back again. I enjoy reading others posts, but thats about all the time I have on the computer. So will see if I can do a bit more today! We've been having a lovely spring. Because of the 'cold' winter that we had and you know they say that the yearly temp average about the same...I was afraid summer would hit with a vengeance...and it still may. But...so far we've been having a lovely spring. Cool nights, and pleasant days. Today after lunch, Ryan, Gwynndon and Kylan went for their first swim party of the summer. So they must think it is warming up!
We are enjoying fresh lettuce, and strawberries. Last Wed I came in with 2- 5 qt pails full, and Andrea wondered if I actually found them all in my garden! I planted radishes again this year, and if I was growing them for the tops...we could have had a lovely crop. But for some reason the ones that did grow bulbs were so piddly look'n that they weren't worth carrying to the house!
Thanks to Ivan last weekend he got the boys to help hill the potatoes, then we mulched till we ran out of straw bale. Then next day one was delivered to us, so they are in the 'laid by' stage! Yesterday we got the fence up for the 1/2 row of green beans and cukes to grow on, so need to mulch them next. I will let the bush style green beans grow another week before we need to mulch them. Jane B generously offered that I could plant some Zipper peas in some extra garden room that she had this year. She didn't need to plant to freeze, but does like to eat fresh. I usually wait for them till after I pick the 'English' peas, and dig pototoes. So maybe this year we can get our Z peas finished before school starts!! I seems I finally am feeling the cruch of a lot of 'eaters'! I think the beans, corn and Zipper peas will last till the fresh comes, but won't have extra to start from! Not sure if the pickles will last or not! Delvin is a big veggie eater...and that is good, except when it comes to putting them up!!
This week felt like another big party. Wed night our small group and one other one met at our ball diamond for an evening together, and finished up with supper after dark. We must have had some big appetites or something. There were about 43 people, so 3 of us were bringing sand wiches. I got out 24 hotdogs, one brought 32 ham/egg salad sandwiches, and the other had 2 big trays of sub type rolls...they all got wipped out, plus I went in and got more hotdogs out of the freezer! I overheard a comment that they didn't think they ever saw a pot luck get quite so wipped out before!
Fri morning was fields day at school till noon. Then Maurita invited the girls from her room at school for overnight. We thought they might enjoy helping to make doughnuts, but wasn't sure that would keep them all busy, so Geneva mixed up 2 batches of cookies too! This Mom doesn't do well with chaos around her, but Geneva thought she could oversee things, Andrea helped with the cookie part. So I, feeling a bit guilty, escaped to the shop after everything was mixed up! They got them all done, and the floor needed a good scrubbing later, but not too much other damage was done! Then we had hamburgers over the fire for supper. I told Geneva we might need some baked macaroni and cheese to go with, but she said she didn't think they needed any more starch after all the cookies and doughnuts they had sampled! We did have mountain pies for dessert. Sat morning I took them home, then went on to Aiken to do some shopping. Quinten and Thorton went with Maurita and I. Soon after we got to Aiken Quinten wondered what we were having for lunch...he thought he would like a mt pie! We laughed at him!
The school countdown is on....2 more weeks!
This morning our Sunday School lesson was on Waiting on the Lord. Are we truly waiting...but yet keeping busy...but not running ahead...while we wait!

Sunday afternoon musings.........

Well, this sure is a quiet Sunday afternoon. Maurita went to Laurita's house today, the boys are out in the cabin, and everyone else is either sleeping, or supposed to be sleeping!
This morning Wendell preached a good sermon on separation...there are basically 2 choices, we are either serving God, or Satan. Are the choices we make today pitching our tent toward 'Sodom', or closer to God. What forms of entertainment do we hanker for, what music do we listen too, which direction are we going?
We are very much delighted with the fact that Geneva comes home tomorrow! Several times this week, one or other of the little boys would ask...when is Geneva coming home! But in the meanwhile tomorrow morning I get to escort some of the high school to a library in Columbia where they will do research for a term paper. When Mr Heatwole first sent the plea home for a driver, he said that maybe someone would like to browse a larger library. Apparently that didn't get any takers...cause later on, he came to me and wondered if I didn't need some shopping time in Columbia. I'm like, ok, whatever, and Ivan pipes up and said, yeah, then I won't have to take her! Of all the nerve! Then Mr H. went on to explain that they needed a chauffeur, and that I could choose someone to go with me, and we could shop for about 4 hours while the students were at the library...I wouldn't have chosen the day to be a Monday, and surely not this one...but will try to help them out! Since it is also Geneva's birthday, we want to have a special meal for supper...she ordered grilled chicken, thats been marinating 3 days!! Sorry about the 3 day part, but we will try for the chicken!
I think spring has finally 'sprung' in SC. Yesterday Maurita went thru the house opening all the windows. It felt really good, until I heard the heater kick on, and I am like whatever. When checking the thermometer, it was 66* in the house! Now in the winter, we would have thought we were 1/2 frozen! Thurs there was a nice rain, normally on laundry day, I would have been a bit dismayed, but it was such a nice warm gentle rain...and I had been thinking maybe I should water the garden...God took care of that job in a much better way than I could have. I even took a walk by the garden...in the rain...and rejoiced to see nice green sprouts poking their heads thru the soil.
Yesterday I did get into a 'spring cleaning' mood, and cleaned a few drawers in the bathroom that had gone WAY too long! I always think of what someone shared after Esther Schlabach ?? succombed to cancer...that they needed to go thru her things, the hair still in the brush... I usually like to keep it cleaned out of my brush, but found quite a bit in the one drawer!! Not sure if it was mine or Ivans, either way...it needed cleaned!!
Gwynndon just came in and said that spring hasn't sprung today, that it is chilly out again!
Yesterday Ivan and I went to Aiken and did some shopping. This morning, Andrea wondered what I was going to shop for tomorrow now!! Well............that could be a problem, but not really!
Ryan is pleased with the fact that his picnic tables seem to be selling. He says if he sells twice as many as he has at this point, his lumber will be paid for...then if no more sell, he will be back where he started with a lot of lumber to play with!
Andrea has been working at her graduation dress. I mentioned to one of the ladies at church that she had it cut out...her comment was already? But she has a family of boys...and when I said well, she needs to get grad pictures taken, she did back down, and say, oh, yeah. She is also on the yearbook staff, and works on that in 'spare' time...also working on her grad speech...keeps her out of trouble...I suppose!
Last week was the end of the 3rd quarter at school. It seems to go way to fast...but hope that we can keep our priorities straight, and shine for Jesus each day!

Well, Well, I can't believe that I am actually doing this! I don't know how long or how much I might get accomplished. I do enjoy reading y'alls updates tho', so will give it a whirl.
We had a nice relaxing vacation, and tho' part of me longs to return to schedule, another parts could wish to just continue relaxing! Although, don't know if relaxing is the right term, as we did accomplish a lot in the last week.
Mom and Jean came on Christmas day, and were headquartered here. My neice Lisa was their escort on the drive to SC. Aletha and her children along with a married daughter, Aaron and Yvonne arrived Sat evening for supper. The children overnighted here with Aletha and Aaron's finding lodging elsewhere. Were we ever grateful for the cabin! Kylan bunked out there along with the rest of the guys. The little boys found beds in the living room. Mom and Jean had the girls room upstairs, and the girls got the little boys room. Geneva had 2 girls in her room too. Sun we spent the day after church at Dannys house. They have a nice large house for the occasion!
Mon they all left, except for Mom and Jean, who stayed till Fri when Eric escorted them back to PA. Mon I also worked till I got Gwynndons quilt (from Grandma S.) in the frame. Its spites me that I neglected to get a picture of his Grandma Hege quilting on it...she did help a lot.
Fri found us washing up sheets and putting the single bed back in the boys room etc. Sometime Maurita reminded me that IT WAS a holiday, but I reminded her that we had been having a holiday all week, and when the company left, we needed to do what needed done. We did sleep in and some didn't eat breakfast till 10, so when the boys come in about 12:30 wondering when lunch was...well... I ended up doing laundry about all day, till we did several load of sheets, and some covers. Geneva and Andrea left about 4 with some girls to go to Hepzibah for an IGO presentation. Maurita needed some new coverings, so I made 2 of those for her, and did some quilting too before the day was finished!
And today is a lovely sunny day, but COLD! This morning they said we had 20*, but at church some reported 15*! This morning the preschool SS verse was I was blind, but now I see. I am so glad that Jesus gives us 'sight', even though I don't always enjoy the process to getting there...He put mud on the blind mans eyes, not really something I enjoy getting in my eyes! This year may we all see with God's eyesight the needs of those around us!